Exhibiting and vending device.



F. A. CANFIELD. EXHIBITING AND VENDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MARIS. |915.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

' COLUMBIA PLANOaR/I FRANK A. CANFIELD, OFl CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXHIBITING ann VENDING DEVICE.

ricerca.

Application filed March 8, 1915.

,To all whom it muy concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. CANFHQLD, a citizen of the United States, residing at 208 Siegel street, in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Exhibiting and Vending Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to exhibiting and vending devices and particularly to devices of that character in which small articles are attractively displayed.

The principal objects of my invention are to so place and support the articles in the device that a portion of each article will be exposed for inspection, and will project suificiently to provide a convenient grasping part for the fingers for withdrawal of the article from the device when purchased, to

form a portion of the device of compara# tively weak frangible material which fits around and holds the articles in position in the device and is adapted to be easily torn when the article is withdrawn upon purchase, and to so construct the device and arrange the articles therein that it may be folded into a` compact flat package with the articles inclosed between the two sides thereof. rIhese and various other objects I accomplish as set forth in the following speciication and as more fully and particularly pointed out in the claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of my invention is shown. Y

In the drawings, Figure l represents a plan view of the improved device opened in flat position: Fig. 2 is an edge view of the device folded, also showing it open in dotted lines.

Fig. Il is an enlarged fragmentary View, showing the heads of some of the articles in dotted lines to indicate their relative position when the device is folded. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the improved device constructed in a flat non-foldable form.

In referring to the embodiments of'my invention shown in the accompanying drawings in detail, like numerals designate cor responding parts.

My improved device as preferably constructed comprises a plurality of sheets of suitable material superimposed upon and secured to each other, one of said sheets being imperforate and constituting a back,

Specification of' Letters Patent.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section through one side of the device on line 3-3 Fig. L

Patented Dec. le, i915.

Serial No. 12,846.

and the others being provided with openings through which portions of the articles project and protrude; one of said perforated sheets being made of thinner and weaker material than the others and having the openings there through smaller than the openings in" the other sheets, said sheet forming a retaining sheet for temporarily securing the articles in place in the device.

1Referring to Fig. 3, the numeral l represents the imperforate back sheet; 2, the intermediate perforated sheet; 3, the thin perforated retaining sheet; and l the outer perforated sheet.

The articles displayed for sale in the embodiment of my invention shown are collar buttons, and it will be noted by referring to Fig. 3, that the inner ends or feet, 5, of the butt-ons are against the back sheet, l, being held in contact by the annular retaining portions, 6, of the thin sheet, 3, and that the stems or shanks, 7, and heads, 8, protrude and project through the openings in the perforated sheets and beyond the face` of the device.

The circular openings in the intermediate sheet, 2, and the outer sheet, 4, are the same in size, being slightly larger than the feet of the buttons, so that thebuttons may be easily drawn through the same when detached from the device.

For compactness, and in order to `protect and conceal the articles when not in displaying position, I preferably construct `my improved device so that it may be folded as shown in Figs. I, 2 and il. In these figures, the left hand member or part is denoted by 9 "andthe right hand member by lO. Both of these members or parts are hinged or otherwise suitably connected to a medial strip, 11, and are adapted to fold as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, to a position parallel and in fairly close proximity to each other.

The buttons or other articles are arranged in parallel rows in each member and the rows of one member are staggered relatively to the rows of the other member, so that when the members are folded, the articles of one member project between the articles of the other member as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

From this it will be readily seen that when the device is folded, the articles are entirely separated from and out of contact with each other, and that as the head of each Varticle is in contact with the surface of the opposite member, all of the articles are llff not only concealed and protected when the device is folded but are positively held therein against removal until the two members are opened.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 it will be noted that each annular portion 6 of the lthin frangible sheet 3 is concentric with the circular openings in the thick sheets 2 and 4, between which the sheet 3, is interposed, thereby providing a ring like portion of weak easily torn material, which is unprotected, not reinforced nor backed and entirely surrounds the foot of the collar but ton. The portion 6 is not cut or perforated except for its central perforation through which the collar button shank projects and is substantially fiat throughout and its oilice is to hold and retain the foot of the collar button in the seat formed by the circular perforation in the thick sheet 2, and located beneath the said portion 6, as shown in Fig.

3. From this it will be seen that the collar buttons are detachably secured to the supporting device by fitting the feet of the buttons in recesses formed in the device by providing some of the thick sheets thereof with circular perforations, and arranging annular flat portionsof weak frangible material around the shanks of the buttons slightly about their feet. In this improved construction, the lower portions of the collar buttons are embedded in the surface of the supporting device and are retained in place therein by frangible portions which do not extend or project above the surface and which are Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

While I have illustrated and described preferred forms of construction for c arrying my invention into effect, thisis capable of a Wide range of variation, alteration, modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention, I there fore do not wish to be limited to the construction herein shown and described, Vbut desire to avail myself of all such variations, alterations, modifications and changes as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claim or may be construed to be within the scope thereof by involving the doctrine of equivalents. Y Y

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A device of the class described, comprising a thick imperforate back, an intermediate thick sheet superimposed on said back and provided with a series of perforations of circular form and of sufficient size to receive the feet of collar buttons, athin flat frangible retaining sheet superimposed on the intermediate sheet and having a like series of circular perforations smaller than and concentric with the perforations in the intermediate thick sheet, said circular perforations being sufficiently large to permit the tting of the heads and shanks of collar buttons therethrough, and. providing aseries of thin weak flat annular unprotected portions which surround and fit snugly around the button shanks slightly above the feet thereof and are completely below the outer surface of the device, andan outer thick sheet superimposed upon the retaining sheet and having a series of perforations equal in number to and corresponding in size and form with the perforations in the intermediate thick sheet with which they register.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK A. CANFIELD.

Witnesses @iconen JoHNsEN, Roer. KLoTz.

Washington, D. C.

vso 

